The Abduction of the Euthanized Rinaldo

The Abduction of Rinaldo from 1637 at the Gemäldegalerie Berlin depicts a scene from Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered where the enchantress Armida kidnaps the sleeping Crusader knight and carries him to her enchanted garden. Poussin painted several scenes from Tasso throughout his career, finding in this Renaissance epic about the First Crusade a narrative that combined historical setting with the magical and romantic elements he needed for compositions of classical order and poetic feeling. Tasso's poem, published in 1581, was one of the most widely read literary works in seventeenth-century Europe, and scenes from it appeared across the visual arts from painting to opera. Poussin's treatment balances the romantic narrative of enchantment with classical compositional principles, setting heroic figures within carefully constructed landscapes that reinforce the emotional register of the story. The Gemäldegalerie Berlin holds this as part of its collection of Poussin's mythological and literary narratives.

The composition captures the moment of abduction with dramatic clarity. Poussin's controlled palette and classical figure arrangement create a scene of enchanted narrative.